And wasn't prosecuted (probably) because the rapist's family was politically connected. There's no excuse for at least statutory under the facts as presented. Also. dude should probably avoid saying rape-y things on social media if he's still within the statute of limitations.

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Here's a depressing story that will bring back memories of the Steubenville rape case. It begins with a 14-year-old drunk girl getting dumped on her porch by the high school football player who had just allegedly raped her, and it ends with her family being driven out of town by an unsupportive community.

A horrifying story out of Missouri: A mother was run out of a small town after her daughter blacked out at a party filled with older high school athletes and was left, with clear marks of rape, on the front lawn of her home in freezing weather.

The Kansas City Star details how the small town of Maryville turned against a newly-arrived family after 14-year-old Daisy Coleman reported that an older athlete had sex with her while another older male videotaped, after she was given an alcoholic drink at a party that left her barely able to stand. Her friend, a 13-year-old, was also made to have non-consensual sex.

After a thorough investigation by the local police however, clearly implicating 17-year-old Matthew Barnett in the sexual assault, charges were inexplicably dropped by the prosecuting attorney. Barnett, coincidentally, is the grandson of a prominent former Missouri state representative.

Star reporter Dugan Arnett writes,

Sexual assault cases can be difficult to build because of factors such as a lack of physical evidence or inconsistent statements by witnesses. But by the time his department had concluded its investigation, Sheriff Darren White felt confident the office had put together a case that would “absolutely” result in prosecutions.

“Within four hours, we had obtained a search warrant for the house and executed that,” White told The Star. “We had all of the suspects in custody and had audio/video confessions.

“I would defy the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department to do what we did and get it wrapped up as nicely as we did in that amount of time.”

But no prosecutions ever came. The charges were dropped by the prosecuting attorney who didn't believe the evidence was strong enough. He dismissed any idea that political influence had anything to do with his decision.

In the meantime, the town had already begun to turn on the Coleman family. Threatening phone calls and online threats were directed at the family. Melinda Coleman had moved to the town with her four children after her husband, a physician, had died in a car accident. She was easily targeted by the community for being an outsider.
The parent of one of the teens at the Barnett house that night was the only one to comment briefly to The Star: “Our boys deserve an apology, and they haven’t gotten it yet.”

In a later interview, Rice [the prosecuting attorney] called it a case of “incorrigible teenagers” drinking alcohol and having sex. “They were doing what they wanted to do, and there weren’t any consequences. And it’s reprehensible. But is it criminal? No.”

Robert Sundell, who represented Barnett, echoed that sentiment: “Just because we don’t like the way teenagers act doesn’t necessarily make it a crime.”

After the charges were dropped, things just got worse for Melinda and Daisy Coleman. Daisy has struggled with depression and attempted suicide. Melinda had to move away from Maryville and back to the town she had lived in with her now-deceased husband. In April, the house in Maryville she still owned burned down under mysterious circumstances.

And Matthew Barnett, the young man accused by Coleman of raping her? He's attending the University of Central Missouri and apparently having a great time:

In a recent retweet, he expressed his views on women — and their desire for his sexual attentions — this way:

Not saying rape is okay. It clearly is not. But what the hell is a 14 year old doing at a party, and why the hell did she get black out drunk? We can talk peer pressure, but no one made her get drunk (unless we're talking roofie drunk).

Back in college, I can remember false calls of rape happening a lot. Girls get drunk, sleep with someone they wouldn't normally sleep with, then cry rape the day after. Happened to a mate of mine. Nearly ruined his life as well. Then the girls story unraveled and she admitted finally that it was consensual.

Anyways, clearly a 14 year old shouldn't be out partying and drinking and getting drunk. You're just asking for trouble. Strong parenting.

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She drank from the ‘bitch cup’

Daisy Coleman remembers little of the night, except how it started. She and a 13-year-old friend, a girl she considered her little sister, had a sleepover at the Colemans. Daisy Coleman admits the girls were drinking and were not acting with her mother’s permission.

“Then this guy texted me and he's like, 'Hey, you want to hang out?’ And I was like, ‘Well, I’ll have to sneak around. It's like one in the morning,” she said.

The guy who texted Daisy was Barnett, a friend of Daisy’s older brother, Charlie, who had been at the Coleman’s a couple nights before for a chili dinner. Barnett drove over to the Colemans, picked up Daisy and her friend and, along with some other boys, snuck into Barnett’s home through a basement window. There, Daisy continued drinking, using a glass that has since become infamous.

“They called it the ‘bitch cup,’” Daisy Coleman said, “and it’s a really, really tall shot glass. I think it had lines. Like, if you drank that much, you were some rank or whatever. Like, you’re a B-word if you only take half of it."

She snuck out. Her mom did not know. She got herself in a bad situation. She doesn't deserve to be raped. It's not like she went to a party suggestively dressed and dry humping everyone in the place. Which still doesn't make rape OK, but this doesn't even rise to the level of her "asking for it".

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She snuck out. Her mom did not know. She got herself in a bad situation. She doesn't deserve to be raped. It's not like she went to a party suggestively dressed and dry humping everyone in the place. Which still doesn't make rape OK, but this doesn't even rise to the level of her "asking for it".

She was also dumped in sub-freezing temps. I can't imagine doing that to someone.

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The guy who texted Daisy was Barnett, a friend of Daisy’s older brother, Charlie, who had been at the Coleman’s a couple nights before for a chili dinner. Barnett drove over to the Colemans, picked up Daisy and her friend and, along with some other boys, snuck into Barnett’s home through a basement window. There, Daisy continued drinking, using a glass that has since become infamous.

“They called it the ‘bitch cup,’” Daisy Coleman said, “and it’s a really, really tall shot glass. I think it had lines. Like, if you drank that much, you were some rank or whatever. Like, you’re a B-word if you only take half of it."

The ****ing guy is a predator. Totally premeditated. What a scumbag.

If I was this girls older brother, I'd be hanging around the Central Missouri campus looking for a little justice.

And let's be real - these scumbags raped a ninth and eighth grader after intentionally getting them drunk enough to pass out. ****ing dirtbags.

I don't know anything about this case. However...whenever nearly everyone involved in a situation like this is on one side, and an article is published that makes it seem like all of those people are out of their minds...generally, there is a lot more to the story.

Is it more likely that an entire community is cool with raping a young girl OR is it more likely that a single reporter is trying to break a huge story by selectively including/omitting critical details?

That crossed my mind when I read about the house being burned down, because that takes a lot of hate even beyond blaming the victim.... but, the story on kansascity.com is pretty damn detailed and video doesn't lie.

I don't think it's really a matter of "an entire community being cool with rape," since the article says it's sparked outrage in the community. I don't think it's hard to imagine a football star telling lies, spreading rumors, etc; to the point that at least part of the school sides with the popular kids. I read somewhere else that the 17 year old has also had other charges dropped in the past, too.

You could very well be right, but unless some of the details in the article are flat out wrong, it certainly seems like a teenage girl waking up on a lawn with a BAC of .17 (or whatever it was) in 40 degree temps and video of the incident warrants more of an explanation than "lack of evidence".

That crossed my mind when I read about the house being burned down, because that takes a lot of hate even beyond blaming the victim.... but, the story on kansascity.com is pretty damn detailed and video doesn't lie.

I don't think it's really a matter of "an entire community being cool with rape," since the article says it's sparked outrage in the community. I don't think it's hard to imagine a football star telling lies, spreading rumors, etc; to the point that at least part of the school sides with the popular kids. I read somewhere else that the 17 year old has also had other charges dropped in the past, too.

You could very well be right, but unless some of the details in the article are flat out wrong, it certainly seems like a teenage girl waking up on a lawn with a BAC of .17 (or whatever it was) in 40 degree temps and video of the incident warrants more of an explanation than "lack of evidence".

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Having lived in Maryville for 4 years I'm only a little surprised. Doesn't stop me from being disgusted though. This is the perfect confluence of rape culture and small-town crooked politics. Horrific.

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Originally Posted by Delano

Reaper16's taste in beer, music, and literature are unmatched on this message board.Posted via Mobile Device

That crossed my mind when I read about the house being burned down, because that takes a lot of hate even beyond blaming the victim.... but, the story on kansascity.com is pretty damn detailed and video doesn't lie.

I don't think it's really a matter of "an entire community being cool with rape," since the article says it's sparked outrage in the community. I don't think it's hard to imagine a football star telling lies, spreading rumors, etc; to the point that at least part of the school sides with the popular kids. I read somewhere else that the 17 year old has also had other charges dropped in the past, too.

You could very well be right, but unless some of the details in the article are flat out wrong, it certainly seems like a teenage girl waking up on a lawn with a BAC of .17 (or whatever it was) in 40 degree temps and video of the incident warrants more of an explanation than "lack of evidence".

Was the girls mother's house burned down or is it referring to McElroy's house, which burned several months after he was executed.

Yeah, that one... they moved before selling their house in Maryville, and it burned down. The article said it was investigated but the cause wasn't determined.

It's disgusting enough to blame the victim and cover up something like that, but then to go after them by firing the mom and burn down the house they lived in (and I'm sure the girls had a pleasant time in school, too)... holy shit.